Are you thinking about starting a blog? If you are then hurrah, blogging is amazing and the best thing that Aby and I ever decided to do! It has brought us so much joy, opportunities for our families and friends we would never have found without being a part of such an awesome community.

Starting a blog is easy enough, but keeping it up is another thing entirely. Whether you blog for a job or for a hobby, there is more to it than meets the eye. Did you know that many a blogger will quit within the first 3 months? If I had quit then I would have missed out on so so much, so I am very glad that I stuck it out!

We have written so many posts here on LLB over the years and so I thought I would share the 10 posts that will help get you started on your blogging journey. Posts that will hopefully give you the tools you need to get started and keep on going – so you may see the benefits and fall in love with it all as we have done on our blogging journey.

10 Posts To Get You Started Blogging

Ok, so first thing’s first – you need to start a blog. Some people find this incredibly daunting and never get past the idea of starting. If you want to write, write. If you have something to share, then share!! Here is everything you need to know about starting a blog.

Once you have decided that you are going to start a blog, you need to think of a name. This is actually harder than it sounds. It has to be something that relates to the content you will produce but not so niche that you will end up regretting it further down the line. So many of my blogging friends hate their name as they chose to have ‘mummy’ in the title – now a few years in they feel pigeonholed. Hopefully this post will help guide you into choosing the perfect name.

When I think back to my blog design in the beginning I cringe so much! I started off blogging for a hobby so actually the design suited me fine. Over the years my blog has become my job and so my design has become more important to me. If this is something you are considering then choosing the right design is essential for creating a good first impression.

Now, whether you blog as a job or for a hobby, you want to have readers don’t you? Otherwise why are you putting it out there in the first place? So, who are you writing for? It can take a while to find your blogging voice but once you know the sort of content you want to create then you need to work out who your audience is. Once you know that then you can target them and get them reading your blog!

A great way to initiate yourself in the blogging community is to join in with linkies. These are a great way to get your name out there and to be able to find other blogs that you may never otherwise come across. Here is a guide to joining in with linkies, enjoy!

Now, it may get to the stage where companies start to approach you. This is so exciting – you are getting noticed! It is up to you whether you decide to take them up on their offer or whether you continue blogging as a hobby. If you do decide to start working with brands then you need to understand that it is a professional relationship. So, here are a few tips for working with brands. Done well, they will come back to you time and time again!

Something that crops up time and time again in the blogging community, is the fact that people are not aware of the types of links that should be used when promoting a product. Whether you work for a fee or in return for a product, you need to be aware that Google places certain rules on outbound links. Here is our guide to understanding follow and no-follow links.

If you find yourself wanting to take it further, feeling brave enough to pitch to brands rather than waiting for them to come to you then it is a great idea to have a media kit. This provides them with your stats, social media following and other accolades you may have picked up along the way. If you don’t know where to start, we have the perfect post helping you create a killer media kit.

Blogging can quite quickly become overwhelming and you can feel like you have lists coming out of your ears. It is essential that you find a way of getting organised. I do Bullet Journalling and I don’t think I would actually get anything done without it. Here are a few other ways to help you get organised.

Last but not least, balance. It goes hand in hand with organisation really but it is making sure that you organise time away from blogging. Last year I blogged solidly for months, wrote and published 3-4 posts a day and I was exhausted and miserable. I took a few months off, lived my life and came back refreshed and ready to start a fresh. You shouldn’t get to that point as long as you take time every day to do something non-blogging related. Finding a balance is essential!

Ok so there we have it, 10 posts that should help you start your blog and keep you focused and motivated throughout. Starting my blog has been the best thing I ever did and yes I did burn out last summer but now I have found my balance and have a career I love. You can too!

Are you part of the LLB community? We welcome all bloggers from all niches so if you would like to be a part of our FB group then request to join here.

Katy is a wife, mum of two (with another due in August) and professional blogger. She writes about her life, her family and the adventures they have together over on her own blog www.whatkatysaid.com as well as here on LLB.